The MMR vaccine scare

In 1998, The Lancet published an article by Andrew Wakefield and others, whose small study seemed to support a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Recently, after no other studies have been able to replicate this link, and vaccine rates plummeted in the UK especially, Wakefield has been condemned by the General Medical Council in the UK as acting "dishonestly and irresponsibly" in his research methods. Ten of his co-authors on the original paper have withdrawn support for the study and the Lancet has retracted the article.

ABC Radio National's Rear Vision program on 24 February broadcast a fascinating insight into how the whole story evolved and revealed how Wakefield's research came to be questioned and eventually condemned. Wakefield himself still stands by his research and his side of the story is available at http://www.autismfile.com/Papers/

You can find the abstract of the original Lancet paper here, and the full text through CIAP or by contacting your library.

Shadow Report on Closing the Gap - 2010

The Steering Committee of the Close the Gap Campaign coalition of peak Indigenous and non Indigenous health organisations has produced a Shadow Report that provides the perspectives of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous health sector on the Government's progress in closing the gap. The AMA is a key member of that Steering Committee. The Shadow Report shows that the Government has not developed a long-term, comprehensive national plan to close the gap and that it falls short when it comes to developing a genuine partnership with Indigenous people and their representative organisations.

Reflections on a Decade of Ehealth : the Second Stage in Healthcare Transformation

This article, from the European Journal of epractice, provides some background from the early days before there were any convenient labels for this segment, looks at where we are today with eHealth (successes and failures, gaps in understanding and in the value business case, strategic acceptance and lessons learnt) and then takes a view forward for the next decade looking at how we can expect eHealth to evolve in the real world, why it is important, what are the critical success factors, and a brief view of the world of eHealth at the end of the decade. (From: NRHA eforum - 22 February 2010)

10 Out of 10 Deadly Health Stories - Nutrition and Physical Activity

The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council has compiled the stories in this report from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to demonstrate the success and potential of these of these Aboriginal community initiatives. (From: NRHA Eforum 22 February 2010)

Closing the Gap: Prime Minister's report 2010

'Closing the Gap: Prime Minister's report 2010' is the second report of the Federal Government's Closing the Gap program to deal with Indigenous disadvantage. This report fulfils the Prime Minister's pledge in his Apology speech to table an annual report to Parliament on progress on Closing the Gap. (NRHA Eforum 22 February 2010)

Indigenous Identification in Hospital Separations Data - Quality Report

This AIHW report represents results of an audit of the quality of Indigenous identification in hospital separations data and make recommendations regarding the use of Indigenous status information. This report is a useful resource for health information managers and researchers. (NRHA Eforum 22 February 2010)

PubMed Training Manual from the National Library of Medicine

The US National Library of Medicine has a new training manual for searching PubMed. The manual is 148 pages (PDF or MS Word) and was revised in February 2010. The guide includes: An introduction to the US National Library of Medicine; The National Networks of Libraries of Medicine; Document Delivery; MESH Vocabulary; Spell Check Feature; My NCBI Collections; Linkout; etc

PBS reform - report on its impact

The Impact of the PBS Reform - Report to the Parliament, from the Department of Health and Ageing, details the impact of the various aspects of the 2007 reforms to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which significantly restructured PBS pricing arrangements, including the impact on government expenditure, consumers, industry, pharmacy, wholesalers and prescribers.

The indications are that the overall impact on patients has been positive and a modest reduction in government expenditure on the PBS has occurred. The Government views the figures with cautious optimism.

Marmot final WHO Report

Fair Society, Healthier Lives is the "must-read" WHO report on health inequality, authored by Chair of the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health, Michael Marmot. It proposes new ways to improve everyone's health and reduce inequalities that it describes as 'unfair and unjust'. A central question behind the WHO report was "why treat people...without changing what makes them sick?". The challenge posed by Marmot is that we cannot afford inaction and six policy objectives are required:

• Give every child the best start in life


• Enable all children young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives


• Create fair employment and good work for all


• Ensure healthy standard of living for all


• Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities


• Strengthen the role and impact of ill-health prevention

New drug and alcohol with mental health guidelines

The Australian Dept of Health and Ageing funded the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) to develop Guidelines on the management of co-occurring alcohol and other drug and mental health conditions in alcohol and other drug treatment settings. The aim is to:

• Increase AOD workers’ knowledge and awareness of mental health conditions.


• Improve the confidence and skills of AOD workers working with clients with comorbid mental health conditions.


• Provide guiding principles for working with clients with comorbid mental health conditions.


• Improve AOD workers’ ability to identify mental health conditions.


• Provide practical information on the management and treatment of comorbid mental health conditions.


• Provide information regarding referral processes.
  

Women's reproductive health report

Reproductive health: findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is a report by Women's Health Australia. It examines contraception, women’s aspirations for motherhood, reproductive histories, problems with fertility and related treatment and advice-seeking behaviour, maternal health and wellbeing, and participation in the paid workforce.
The Longitudinal Study has been examining the health and wellbeing of Australian women since 1996 and surveys over 40,000 Australian women who were aged 18-23, 45-50, and 70-75 when the study began. The study has provided invaluable data about the health of women as they age and this particular report has extracted the data on reproductive health.

Swine flu vaccination controversy

Inside Story is an online source of in depth journalism looking at politics and policy in Australian and the world. They have just published a commentary by Melissa Sweet on the continuing debate about swine flu and its implications for public health campaigns. Swine Flu, Vaccination and Other Matters of Trust asks who do you trust when it comes to advice about whether you or members of your family should be vaccinated against swine flu? Is it your GP, your neighbour, the professor on the television or the government’s advertising campaign? WHO has been forced to defend its response to the swine flu pandemic, with accusations ranging from its too strict an adherence to pandemic policy, to conspiracy with drug companies.

Sweet refers to a recent article in JAMA which details examples from across the globe in which trust in the safety of vaccines has been dented, often to the detriment of public health: "Public Health Response to Influenza A(H1N1) as an Opportunity to Build Public Trust" by Larson and Heymann, JAMA. 2010;303(3):271-272. The article may be accessed through CIAP, or contact your hospital library.

ABC Rural and Regional Website

A section of the ABC website groups aspects of rural and regional health issues in one spot ABC Rural and Regional website . Items included are Fact Files specifically related to rural health eg Q fever, farm safety; Links to other rural health sites eg National Rural Health Alliance, Royal Flying Doctor Service; Feature and General Interest stories.

Social Justice Report 2009

Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, welcomed the release of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma's final Social Justice Report. The Social Justice Report 2009 focuses on solutions to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system; the protection of Indigenous languages; and sustaining Aboriginal homeland communities. It also emphasises the importance of cultural healing programs - both in their effectiveness in diverting young people from the criminal justice system and their capacity to help rehabilitate people affected by substance and alcohol abuse. (NRHA eforum 8/2/10)

Completion of Suite of Guidelines on Type 2 Diabetes

The National Evidence Based Guideline for the Primary Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes has been approved by the Chief Executive Officer of the National Health and Medical Council. The Guidelines were developed by Diabetes Australia and are available on the Diabetes Australia website and include:

• Diabetes Management in General Practice


• National Evidence Based Guidelines for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes


• Outcomes & Indicators for Diabetes Education: a National Consensus Position Information and Education for People with Diabetes: a 'Best Practice' Strategy

Government Intergenerational Report

You may have seen some media coverage in the last few days about The Rudd government's first Intergenerational Report. In addition to assessing the fiscal and economic challenges of an ageing population, this report also includes a comprehensive discussion on environmental challenges and social sustainability. It assesses the challenges Australia will face over the next 40 years, including an ageing population, escalating pressures on the health system, and the environmental and economic challenges of climate change.

Australia faces the problems of ageing populations which exist across the developed world. "Population ageing reduces the proportion of working age people supporting people aged over 65 years. The rate of improvement in average living standards is projected to fall, placing pressure on Australia's capacity to fund the spending pressures associated with an ageing population, particularly in terms of health spending."

Windows into Safety and Quality in Health Care

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, in consultation with clinicians, consumers, public and private hospitals, and other healthcare provider organisations, has identified the priority national safety and quality areas for action in Australia. Windows into Safety and Quality in Health Care 2009 examines a number of these key issues.

Clinical registries are determined to be key to ensuring patient-focused safety and quality, "The structures and governance of an Australian Clinical Quality Registry should form a nexus for clinicians, administrators, peak bodies, jurisdictions and consumers. These connections can be used to build confidence and transparency in Australian health care and help ensure that our activities are focused on the patient."

Children, physical activity and transport

Dr Jan Garrard has just published a report for VicHealth, Active Transport : Children and Young People : an overview of recent evidence. In it, she looks at children in Australia and their participation in physical activity, trends in how children travel to school and other local destinations, and how active travel can be promoted and increased.

Garrard concludes that changes in Australian lifestyles, urban environments and transportation systems have led to changed physical activity patterns among children. She writes that children enjoy walking or cycling to school, but parents have been the major barrier to this for various reasons. She advocates community investment in infrastructure, such as bike paths and pedestrian crossings, as well as reduced parking and speed limits.

Reducing drowning deaths: the continued challenge of immersion fatalities in Australia

With the increased number of drownings over summer, it is interesting to read an article in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia. The article explores 5 years of drowning deaths in Australia compared with a previous Australian study a decade earlier, and looks to assess the feasibility of achieving a 50% reduction in unintentional drowning deaths by 2020.
More than half of drowning deaths (53.7%) were of visitors to the location and alcohol was involved in 21.6% of all drowning deaths.
Contact your library if you can't access the article.

Swimming pools: an asthma risk?

ABC Health Updates, from the 28th of January, 2010 reports on recent research by Belgian scientists published in Pediatrics adding to the theory that chlorine in swimming pools can increase the incidence of asthma, allergic rhinitis and hayfever in those who are vulnerable to allergies.
The researchers examined 847 students between 13 and 18 years of age who had been swimming in indoor chlorinated and unchlorinated pools. They found that children who were allergy sensitive were more likely to develop asthma and other allergies if they swam in chlorinated pools. Those who spent more than 1000 hours in chlorinated pools were up to 14.9 times more likely to have asthma and 3.5 times more likely to have allergic rhinitis.
The Better Health Channel gives Pool Hygiene tips and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has published the APVMA guide for demonstrating efficacy of pool and spa sanitisers.

Thinking about getting pregnant in 2010?

A multi-media information package about safe diets before and during pregnancy has been launched by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). In addition to seven recommendations for safe eating and drinking, there is detailed information on the FSANZ website, including brochures, fact sheets, web videos and a web seminar. The 8 page brochure, "Thinking About Having a Baby", can be downloaded here.

We need more mental health beds, but not in hospitals

More acute mental health beds and more doctors is not the answer to Australia's mental health needs it is more community-based beds which will improve mental health outcomes, according to David Crosbie, CEO of the Mental Health Council of Australia. "We have a desperate shortage of community-based residential treatment options for people with a mental illness. This shortage places huge pressures on hospitals, prisons and carers who courageously try to look after people who really need community-based residential care," Crosbie said. Read the full media release here.

Dermatology and Web 2.0: Selected Online Resources

Webicina, the first medical web 2.0 guidance service, has published Dermatology and Web 2.0, a free comprehensive resource containing all the web 2.0 tools from quality blogs and communities to online slideshows and mobile applications. It was designed to help medical professionals interested in dermatology find the best resources online. The Medical Web 2.0 Guidance Collection also includes Cardiology, Radiology, Neurology, Rheumatology and Surgery.